Wrapping machine feeding mechanism



Oct. 5, 1943. c. J. MALHIOT WRAPPING MACHINE FEEDING MECHANISM FiledJune 20, 1941 3 Sheet-s$heet l INVENTOR. BY aiafmeJmlkz'ot J V M M W2llllllill" i nu Mill Oct. 5, 1943. c. J. MALHIOT WRAPPING MACHINEFEEDING MECHANISM Filed June 20, 1941 Ill liimmlmll Illlllll Illl dillIIIIIIIIIHIIIM'IHIII INV ENT OR. Q a/"em? J/falkz'o Oct. 5, 1943.

c. J. MALHIOT v WRAPPING MACHINE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed June 20, 1941 3Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR. CYZarezzceJMaZigz'ot Patented Oct. 5, 1943WRAPPING MACHINE FEEDING MECHANISM Clarence J. Malhiot, Oak Park, lll.,'assignor to F. B. Redington 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation ofIllinois Application June 20, 1941, Serial No. 393,939

22 Claims.

This invention relates to wrapping machines and more particularly tofeeding mechanism for feeding sheets of wrapping material to a wrappingmachine.

' The herein disclosed feeding mechanism is adapted to be applied to awrapping machine of the type disclosed in applicants co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 398,987 filed concurrently herewith, andassigned to the present assignee.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of new andimproved feeding mechanism for feeding consecutive sheets of wrappingmaterial to a predetermined position with respect to a wrapping machine,there being new and improved detector means for preventing the operationof the feeding mechanism when the article to be wrapped does not attaina predetermined position with respect to the wrapper feeding mechanism.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a wrappingmachine feeding mechanism which is provided with a rotary.

mounted feeding roller adapted to operate at a predetermined speed untila part of the roller attains a position adjacent a wrapper to be fed andthen attains a different speed during the feeding operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a feeding rollerhaving a feeding surface provided thereon for engagement with a wrapperto be fed, the roller having a relatively slow speed when the feedingsurface is first brought into feeding engagement with a wrapper andbeing accelerated after engagement of the feeding surface with thewrapper and partial feeding of the wrapper.

A further object of the invention is the provision of new and improvedfeeding means for feeding wrappers successively to a predeterminedposition, the feeding means being operated at a variable speed to effectproper contact with the wrapper to be fed and then movement at anaccelerated rate after the said contact so as to feed the wrapperrapidly to a predetermined po-' sition.

Another object is the provision of feeding mechanism including acontinuously rotating shaft arranged within a cylindrical feed roller,-there being means provided between the feed roller and the shaft toeffect a resilient driving connection between the shaft and the roller,said driving connection being disengaged when an article to be wrappedis not in a predetermined position so as to prevent .feeding of awrapper. A further object is the provision of feeding mechanism whichincludes a resiliently driven feeding surface adapted to be rotated in apredetermined direction at a variable speed to effect a feedingoperation and be prevented from operating when an article to be wrappedis not in a predetermined proper position, there being means provided toprevent over-running of the said feeding surface and to effect theproper positioning of the parts and to return the parts to normaloperating position.

A still further object is the provision of new I and improved feedingmeans including means for supporting wrappers in stacked formation andcontinuously rotating feeding surfaces adapted to engage the bottom of alowermost wrapper and then move at an accelerated speed after thefeeding surface has engaged and partly fed the wrap per from beneath thestack.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a feedingmechanism comprising a cylindrical roller, having a flexible feedingsurface provided thereon, the feeding surface being resiliently drivenbut prevented from being driven when an article to be wrapped is notinproper position, said feeding roller being provided with disengageabledriving means becoming inoperative when a sheet is not to be fed, andthe parts returningcto initial driving position after a cycle ofoperation following disengagement of the driving means.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of parts soconstructed and located in predetermined positions as normally tooperate in proper timed relationship to effect feeding of wrappersproperly and successively when an article to be wrapped is at apredetermined position but being prevented from operating when anarticle to be wrapped is not in the predetermined position.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be apparent throughout theprogress of the following specification.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a selected embodiment of theinvention and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. l is a detail elevational view of the improved feeding mechanismand embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail elevational view showing the driving mechanism forthe device;

Fig. 3 is a detail top plan view of a wrapper feeding mechanism andembodying the invention;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3 showingthe wrapper roller 2 assess;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 4 but showing the parts inadvanced position;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the position of the partsduring the operation of the detector means when a package is not inproper position;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing the parts returning tonormal position after the operation of the detector mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a detail end elevational view of the mechanism looking fromthe right toward the left in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view on the line ||l-|0 of Fig. 5.

The particular feeding mechanism herein' shown for the purpose ofillustrating the invention is adapted to feed wrappers to apredetermined position with respect to a wrapping machine so thatarticles may be wrapped. While the device is adapted to feed wrappers toany type of wrapping machine, it is particularly adaptable for feedingwrappers to a machine disclosed and claimed in applicant's co-pendingap-' plication, Serial No. 398,987 filed concurrently herewith.

The feeding mechanism comprises a suitable supporting frame or structureI which is mounted on a base 2, such as a machine frame. A magazine 3 ismounted above and suitably supported on the frame I to receive aplurality of wrappers 4, Figs. 4 to 6, which are in the form of sheetsarranged in stacked relationship. The magazine 3 comprises side and endmembers 5 connected by upper and lower straps 6, Fig. 1.

Wrappers 4 in the magazine 3 rest upon rollers I mounted on a transverseshaft 8 and upon a plurality of spaced wrapper feed rolls 9. The wrapperfeed rolls 9 are loosely mounted on shafts In which are suitably mountedin bearings carried by the supporting frame structure I. These feedrolls 9 are each relatively cylindrical in shape and are adapted to bedriven by driving mechanism Figs. 4 to 6.

The driving mechanism comprises a driver |2 which is mounted on theshaft i0 and is adapted to be locked thereto by means of a screw or boltl3 which passes through the split ends it and i5 of the driver securelyto lock the driver in tight frictional contact with the shaft Hi. Thisdriver I2 is provided with a pocket IE to receive a spring H. The springI! is receivable in a pocket i8 in a complementary part l9 looselysupported on the shaft Ill. The driver |2 therefore drives thecomplementary member 9 through the medium of the spring H.

The driven member I9 has pivotally connected thereto at a finger 2|which is normally adapted to have driving contact with an arcuate flange22 extending outwardly from the end of the wrapper feed roll 9. Theflange 22 has a downwardly extending integral leg 23 which is fixed tothe end of the roll 9 by suitable fastening means indicated generally bythe numeral 24. One end of the finger 2| is provided with a surface 25against which a surface on the complementary driven member i9 is adaptedto abut. A spring 26 is arranged to urge the finger 2| about its pivot20 so as to cause the surface 25 to abut its cooperating surface on thedriven member I9 during normal driving operation of the parts, but isadapted to permit yielding inward movement of the'finger should thefinger 2| be pressed inwardly.

The periphery of the roll a is cut away and supports an upstandingoutwardly projecting member 2! which is rigidly connected to the roll 9and therefore moves only during rotative movement of the roll. Theprojection 22 is provided with an elongated horizontal part 28 aboutwhich there is mounted a flexible resilient friction member 29 havingrubber or rubber-like material arranged thereabout. Each roll 8, Fig. 3,carries four of these resilient flexible members 29 which extendupwardly a predetermined distance above the peripheral surface of theroll 9, so as to en gage a lowermost wrapper Q in the magazine to feedthe bottom wrapper outwardly between spaced rollers 30 and 3| andbetween the spaced guides 32 and 33. During normal operation of the feedrolls the shaft in will drive the driver member |2 which drives thecomplementary driven member l3 resiliently through the spring H. Thecomplementary resiliently driven member l9 causes the roll 9 to berotated through the finger 2| carried by the member IS. The finger 2| ispositioned below the peripheral surface of the roll 9 and, as abovedescribed, is adapted to have driving contact with the arcuate member 22of the roll 9 with which it is normally in driving engagement. Therotation of the shaft in. therefore, normally causes rotation of theroll but effects such rotation only when the finger 2| is in physicalcontact with the arcuate member 22.

During normal rotation of the rolls 9, the members 29 will come intocontact with the lowermost wrapper d and definitely engage the lowermostwrapper to such an extent that it will tend to raise the wrappersupwardly a predetermined distance as shown in Fig. 5. This contactingarrangement assures definitely that the lowermost wrapper will befrictionally engaged by the resilient members 29 and positively anddefinitely fed outwardly through the opening 34 provided in the magazineto cause the wrapper to be fed between the feed rollers 30 and 3| andthrough the guides 32 and 33. The guides 32 and 33 are juxtaposed withrespect to the article to be wrapped and the parts are so positioned andsynchronized that a wrapper will be fed to the article to be wrapped atthe proper time.

In such instances where an article to be wrapped does not attain aproper position at the proper time, the rolls 9 will be prevented fromoperating even though the shafts l0 continue to operate. The rolls 3will be prevented from rotating only when the fingers 2| of therespective drive mechanisms H are depressed So as to prevent physicalcontact or engagement with the projecting arcuate fianges 22. Thefingers 2| are depressed and prevented from operating by a bar 35, Figs.1, 3, '7, and 8, which is arranged adjacent the ends of the rolls 9 inclose proximity to the fingers 2| but normally out of contact therewith.The bar 35 is positioned so that it will not come in contact with thefinger 2| except when shifted, at which time it will engage and depressthe finger 2| to prevent the finger 2| from going into drivingengagement with the arcuate drive flange 22. The bar 35 is adapted to beshifted to depress the finger 2| only when a package to be wrapped isnot in a proper predetermined position.

The bar 35 is rigidly secured to a transverse rod 36 which is pivotallymounted in suitable supporting members on the frame. An upstanding leveror arm 31 is rigidly connected to the transverse rod 36 and is adaptedto give rotation to the transverse rod 36 when the lever is moved to theright or left, Fig. 1. A rod or connecting member 38 is operativelyconnected -t 39 to the upstanding lever arm 31 and has its other end 44(to the left, Fig. 1) operatively connected to a roll detector member4|, Fig. l. The detector member 4| is operatively connected at 42 to abrace or bracket arm 43' which is rigidly secured to a part of the frameor to a part of the magazine.

The detector member 4| has a curved or arcuate part 4| which is spacedfrom and parallel to a rotatively mounted roll carrying or supportingwheel carrying rolls 44 to be wrapped.

As rolls to be wrapped arrive at a predetermined position with respectto the detectormember 4|, they will push the detector member 4|outwardly, which will move the rod 38 to the right, Fig. 1. Movement-ofthe rod 38 to the right, Fig. 1, will shift the lever 31 to the right,*and inasmuch as the bar 35 is rigidly connected to the transverse rod36, which in turn is rigidly connected to the lever 31, the bar 35 willbe raised upwardly a predetermined distance, preventing the bar 35 fromcoming in contact with the depressible fingers 2|. The depressiblefingers 2| will, therefore, remain in their normal u ward position forengagement with the arcuate flange 22 and therefore cause rotativemovement of the rolls 9. If, however, there is no roll in properposition with respect to the detector arm or member 4| there will be nopressure on the lever 31, and, therefore, the rod 36 will dropdownwardly and engage the fingers 2| to cause them to be depressed adistance sufiicient to prevent them from engaging their respectiveco-operating driving flanges 22. The depressing of the fingers 2| will,therefore, permit the members l2 and I9 carried by the shaft ill tocontinue to rotate with the shaft II], but the rolls and consequentlythe resilient flexible wrapper feeding members 29 will remainmotionless. Accordingly, no wrapper will i be fed when a roll is not inproper position;

The depressible fingers 2| are shown as being depressed by the bar 35,in Fig. 7. Thus, the driving member 12 and itsco-operating drivenelements will continue to rotate, but the rolls 9 will remain stationarybecause there is no driving connection between the shaft l and thearcuate flange 22. and the parts will assume the relative position shownin Fig. 8, which illustrates the parts moving from the position shown inFig. 7 toward another cycle of operation.

The driver member i2 has pivotally mounted thereto at 45 a stop finger46. This stop finger is urged outwardly by a spring member 41' arrangedbetween the finger 46 and the driver member i2, the outward movement ofthe finger being limited by a pin 48 carried by the driver member i2 andengaging the tail end of the finger member 46. The finger 46 is for thepurpose of preventing over-running of the roll 9 during its rotativemovement.

The spring I! between the driver member I2 and the complementary drivenmember |9 forms a resilient connection between these members whereby thedriven member I9 is driven by the driver member l2 through the medium ofthe spring l1. When the wrapper feeding elements 29 engage the wrapperthere is some frictional engagement set up between these parts tendingto compress the spring l1 and build up some compression therein. As thewrapper feed members 29 leave the stack of wrappers during a wrapperfeeding operation, the built-up spring pressure tends to accelerate therotative movement of the roll tending to cause the roll to rotate at afaster speed than the rotative speed of the shaft III. This fasterrotation of the roll 9 as compared with the rotation of the shaft IDwill cause the lug or flange 22 to be shifted a considerable distanceaway from the driving finger 2|. When the arcuate lug or flange 22strikes the forward edge of the stop finger 46, however, the acceleratedspeed of the roll is arrested and the roll 9 is prevented from rotatingany faster than the shaft l0. Inasmuch as the driver finger 2| is notnow in engagement with the lug 22, the roll 9 will tend to lag behinduntil the finger 2| again engages the arcuate flange 22.

Fig. 6 illustrates the action of the stop finger 46. In this figure, thedotted lines show the position of the wrapper feeding element 29 at thetime that the accelerated movement of the roll 9 begins to take effectbecause of the builtup spring pressure caused by the frictionalengagement of the element 29 with the wrappers. The full lines show themember 29 in the position where the arcuate flange 22 has moved intoengagement with the finger 46 and the accelerated speed of the roll 9has been arrested. Thereafter there is a back lag between the roll andthe driving member, as above described,

until the depressible finger 2| again engages the arcuate flange 22 toeffect the driving relationship between the shaft and the roller.

When the bar 35 causes the depressible finger 2| to become disengagedwith the flange 22 to prevent driving of the roll 9, the roll 9 will bestationary but the parts carried by the shaft l0 will continue torotate, as described above.

During this rotation, the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 8 withthe spring-pressed finger 46 riding under the arcuate flange 22, afterwhich time the parts again assume their normal driving position of Fig.4 provided there is a roll in position. Should there be no roll inproper position during consecutive cycles of the shaft ID, the parts onthe shaft ill will merely rotate freely,-as indicated in Fig. 8.

The sheets or wrappers 4, as they are fed out of the magazine=3 by thefeed rolls 9, are advanced between the rollers 30 and 3|'. The rollers30 and 3i rotate at a faster speed than the feeding speed of the wrappercaused by the rolls 9 and feed the wrapper at a relatively fast rate ofspeed to a wrapper receiving position, such as to a wrapping wheel ofthe type disclosed and claimed in applicants co-pendin'g applicationSerial No. 398,987, filed concurrently herewith. The feeding rolls 30and 3|, while rotating at a faster speed than the shaft III, also have avariable speed which is synchronized with a variable speed movement ofthe feed rolls 9, as will be hereinafter described.

The feed roller 30 is rotatively mounted in bearings 30' on angle levers49 which are pivotally mounted at 50 to a transverse shaft suitablysupported in part of the frame structure. Spring means 5| are connectedto an end of the angle levers 49 and to a part'of the magazine frame tourge the feed roller 39 downwardly into frictional contact with thelower feed roller 3| mounted in bearings 3| carried by the machineframe.

A plurality of spaced upstanding needles 52 extend upwardly from thebottom of the magazine near one end thereof, to the right in Figs. 1 and3, and pierce one or more wrappers 4 arranged in the bottom of themagazine. These wrapping operations.

of the wrappers and to assist in maintaining them in proper position soas to be fed only when they are positively fed by the feeding surfaces29 on the rollers 9. The needles 52 cause a slight tear to be made inthe end of the wrapper and so scraper elements 53 are provided to ruband smooth out any roughness caused by the tearing action of the pins onthe wrapper. The

scraper members 53 are mounted on levers 5d which are pivotally mountedat 55 to the part of the feed mechanism housing or frame I. The leversare relatively long so as to provide the proper bearing of the scrapers53 against the bottom of the wrapper.

Rotary driven brushes 56 are arranged adjacent the rolls 9 to engage therolls and keep them cleanly brushed. The brushes 56 are mounted onshafts 57 and are rotated by pulleys 58 which are attached to the shafts51 and are driven by belts 59 extending around pulleys 60 mounted on'thedriven shafts ill.

The various parts of the machine so far described are driven by a gear6| mounted on a shaft 62, Figs. 2 and 9. The gear 6| meshes with a gear63 fixed to the first shaft ill, to the left in Figs. 1 and 3, whichdrives the first wrapper feed roll 9. An idler gear 64 is driven by thegear 63 and drives a gear -65 mounted on the center shaft Ill. The gear65 meshes with and drives an idler gear 66 which drives a gear 61mounted on the shaft 0 of a roll 9 at the right hand side of themachine, Figs. 1 and 3. The gear 63 meshes with a gear 68 Fig. 2,mounted on a shaft 69. The gear 68 has fixed thereto a larger gear 10which meshes with a gear H mounted on a transverse shaft 12 whichcarries the lower feed roller 3|. The gear H has meshing relationshipwith a gear 13 mounted on a transverse shaft 14 mounted in the opposedlever arms 49jand upon which the upper feed roller 30 is mounted. Therolls 9, the brushes 56, and the feed rollers 30 and 3! are,

therefore, caused to operate synchronously in proper timed relationship.

It is advantageous and desirable that the parts rotate at a variablespeed; that is, while they are continuously rotating, they will rotateat a relatively slow rate of speed throughout a partial cycle and thenaccelerate the speed during the remaining cycle of operation. The partsare so timed that the resilient surfaces 29 of the rolls 9 contact awrapper substantially at the slow part of the cycle, thereby minimizingthe initial acceleration of a wrapper upon starting to leave themagazine. This relatively slow initial feeding tends to prevent slippageof the resilient surfaces 29 on the wrapper, which slippage might easilyoccur if the peripheral speed of the surface 29 is very high, andtherefore helps to prevent missing a wrapper entirely or feeding awrapper out of time with respect to subsequent This variable speed isprovided by means of a drive gear 15, Figs. 2 and 9, which has a plate16 fastened thereto. This plate I6 carries an eccentrically positionedroller 11, Fig. 9, which is mounted between spaced driving plates orguides 18 mounted on a rotary arm 19.

The driving plates 18 extend a predetermined distance beyond the centerline 80 of a main driving shaft 8|. The driving connection between theshaft lil and the driving gear 15 is, therefore, eccentricallypositioned so as to provide for the variable speed. The shaft 8| carriesa gear 82 which meshes with and is driven Operation The feedingmechanism herein disclosed comprises a magazine into which a pluralityof wrappers are arranged in stacked relationship. The wrappers aresupported on the rollers 9 and the supporting rollers 8. The lowermostwrapper is fed out of the magazine to the feed rolls 353 and iii bymeans of the resilient surfaces 29 extending upwardly beyond the normalperiphery of the rolls 9. The main bodies of the rolls 9 are relativelysmooth and merely slide over the bottom surface of a wrapper. When,however, the resilient rubber-like surfaces 29 on the rolls 9 come incontact'with the wrapper, they feed a wrapper outwardly of the magazinein the proper position between the feed rollers 30 and 3! which thenfeed the wrapper at a faster rate of speed to proper position withrespect to an article to be wrapped.

The feeding operation of the rolls 9 is controlled by a detectormechanism which causes or prevents rotation of the rolls 9 by thepresence or absence of an article to be wrapped with respect to adetector arm. The needles 52 engage and pierce one or more of thelowermost wrappers and prevent a wrapper from being accidentally fed. Ascraper arm 53 is adapted to press or smooth out any tear or obstructioncaused by the pulling of a wrapper away from the piercing needles 52.The brushes 56 are arranged adjacent the rolls 9 so as to keep therollers clean. The feeding rolls 9 and the feeding rollers 30 and 3|operate at a variable speed and as all the operating elements areconnected by trains of gearing, the parts all operate synchronously.After a wrapper has been fed by the rolls 9, they are given acceleratedfeeding movement by the feed rollers 30 and 3! and forced through thespaced guides 32 and 33 to wrapping position. The feeding mechanismherein disclosed is relatively simple in construction, is positive andeflicient in operation and may be readily applied as a part of newmachines or as an accessory to existing machines.

Changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of theparts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificingany of its advantages; and the right is hereby reserved to make all suchchanges as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position comprising means for supporting a stack ofsaid sheets, rotatable means for feeding a sheet from an end of saidstack, rotatable means for engaging said sheet as it is fed from saidstack and feeding it forwardly, and means for increasing the speed ofsaid last mentioned rotatable means during a portion of its feedingoperation.

2. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position comprising means for supporting a stack ofsaid sheets, rotatable means for feeding a sheet from an end of saidstack, rotatable means for engaging said sheet and feeding the same at aspeed greater than that at which the sheet is fed from said stack, andmeans varying the speed of saidlast mentioned rotatable means duringportions of its feeding operation.

3. Apparatus of the character described for T feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position comprising means for supporting a stack ofsaid sheets, rotatable means for feeding a sheet from an end of saidstack, rotatable means for engaging said sheet and feeding the same at aspeed greater than that at which the sheet is fed from said stack, anddrive means for said feed means providing for rotating each of saidrotatable means at predetermined speeds during an initial portion of thefeeding operation and at increased speeds during a subsequent portion ofthe feeding operation.

4. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position comprising means for supporting a stack ofsaid sheets, a rotatable feed roll, resilient friction means on saidfeed roll and extending around a portion only of the outer surface ofthe roll for engaging a sheet at one end of said stack and feeding saidsheet forwardly, and means for driving said feed roll at variable speedscomprising a pair of eccentrically positioned shafts, a rollereccentrically carried by one of said shafts, a drive member having aradially extending groove attached to the other of said shafts, saidroller being received within said groove and providing a variable speeddriving connection between the shafts.

5. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position comprising means for supporting a stack ofsaid sheets, a rotatable feed roll, resilient friction means on saidfeed roll and extending around a portion only of the outer surface ofthe roll for engaging a sheet at one end of said stack and feeding saidsheet forwardly, the remaining portion of said feed roll providing asmooth substantially non-frictional outer surface, and meansdisconnectible from said feed roll for normally driving the roll atvariable speeds.

6. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position comprising means for supporting a stack ofsaid sheets, a rotatable feed roll, resilient friction means carried bysaid feed roll and projecting outwardly beyond the outer surface of theroll around a portion of its periphery, a driving member for normallyrotating said feed roll, and releasable driving means between saiddriving member and said roll.

7. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position for application to articles or the likecomprising means for feeding articles to said predetermined position,means for supporting a stack of said sheets, rotary means forfeedingsaid sheets from said stack, drive means for said rotary feedingmeans, and means for disconnecting said drive means from said rotaryfeeding means to prevent feeding of said sheets when an article is notin position to receive a sheet.

8. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position for application to articles or the likecomprising means for feeding said articles to saidpredeterminedposition, means for supporting a stack of said sheets, means coordinatedwith the feeding of said articles for feeding said sheets to saidpredetermined position, said sheet feeding means including a feed rollfor engaging and removing sheets from said stack, drive means forieeding thereof for disconnecting said drive means from said feed rollto prevent feeding of said sheets when an article is not in position toreceive a sheet.

9. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position for application to articles or the likecomprising means for supporting a stack of said sheets, a rotatableshaft, a feed roll for engaging and feeding a. sheet from said stackloosely mounted on said shaft, means on said shaft for normally drivingsaid feed roll to effect rotation thereof, and means for rendering saiddrive means inoperative to eifect rotation of the feed rail when anarticle is not in position to receive a s eet.

10. Apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets of materialto predetermined position for application to articles or th likecomprising means for supporting a stack of said sheets, a rotatableshaft, a feed roll for engag n and feeding a sheet from said stackloosely mounted on said shaft, means on said shaft for normally drivingsaid feed roll to effect rotation thereof, and means for rendering saiddrive means inoperative to efiect rotation of the feed roll when anarticle is not in position to receive a sheet, said drive means becomingautomatically operative to drive the feed roll when an article issubsequently in proper position to receive a sheet.

11. In an apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets ofmaterial from a stack, a rotatable shaft, means for continuouslyrotating said shaft in a single direction, a feed roll for engaging andfeeding a, sheet from one end of said stack loosely mounted on saidshaft, means on said shaft and continuously rotating therewith fornormally driving said feed roll to eifect rotation thereof, and meansfor disconnecting said drive means to permit said continuousuni-directional rotation of the shaft without effecting rotation of thefeed roll.

12. In an apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets ofmaterial from a stack, a rotatable shaft, a feed roll loosely mounted onsaid shaft, a drive means mounted on said shaft, a driven member carriedby said feed roll, means cooperating between said drive means and saiddriven member to normally provide a driving connection between saidshaft and said feed roll, and means mounting said last named means formovement into and out of operative position to provide for disconnectionof the drive means from the feed roll.

13. In an apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets ofmaterial from a stack, a rotatable snaft, a feed roll loosely mounted onsaid shaft, a driving member carried by said shaft, a second drivingmember mounted on said shaft, a resilient driving connection betweensaid driving members, a driven member carried by said feed roll, aspring-urged member carried by said second driving member and normallyextending in a position to engage said driven member and provide adriving connection between said shaft and said feed roll, shiftablemeans carried by a portion of the feeding apparatus for engaging saidspring-urged member to move the member into inoperative position withrespect to said driven member, and stop means carried by one of saiddriving members and engageable with said driven member upon over-runningof the feed roll with respect to the shaft to arrest the over-runningmovement of the roll.

14. In apparatus for feeding sheets of material from a stack, arotatable shaft, a feed roll loosely mounted on said shaft for engagingand feeding a sheet from an end of said stack, a driving member carriedby said shaft, a driven member carried by said feed roll, a spring-urgedmember carried by said driving member and normally extending into aposition to engage said driven member and provide a driving connectionbetween said shaft and said feed roll, and shiftable means for engagingsaid spring-urged member to move the member into inoperative positionwith respect to said driven member.

15. In apparatus for feeding sheets of material from a stack, arotatable shaft, a feed roll loosely mounted on said shaft for engagingand feeding a sheet from an end of said stack, a driving member carriedby said shaft. a driven member carried by said feed roll, a movablymounted member carried by said driving member, means normally supportingsaid movably mounted member in a position to engage said driven memberand-provide a driving connection between said shaft and said feed roll,and shiftable means for engaging said movably mounted member to move themember into inoperative position with respect to said driven member.

16. In apparatus for feeding sheets of material from a stack, arotatable shaft, a feed roll loosely mounted on said shaft for engagingand feeding a sheet from an end of said stack, a driving member carriedby said shaft, a driven member carried by said feed roll, a movablymounted member carried by said driving member, means normally supportingsaid movably mounted member in a position to engage said driven memberand provide a driving connection between said shaft and said feed roll,and shiftable means for engaging said movably mounted member to movethemember into inoperative position with respect to said driven member,said shiftable means including an arm pivotally mounted upon a portionof the feeding apparatus and movable into engagement with said movablymounted member.

17. In apparatus for feeding sheets of material from a stack, aplurality of rotatable shafts positioned adjacent th stack, a feed rollloosely mounted on each of said shafts for engaging and feeding a sheetfrom an end of said stack, a driving member carried byeach of saidshafts, a driven member carried by each of said feed rolls, a movablymounted member carried by each of said driving members, means normallysupporting aid movably mounted members in positions to engage saiddriven members and provide a driving connection between said shafts andsaid feed rolls, and shiftable means for moving said movably mountedmembers into inoperative position with respect to said driven members,said shiftable means including an elongated arm movable into engagementwith each of said movably mounted members.

18. In apparatus for feeding sheets of material from a stack and movingthe sheets to a pr termined position for application to articles or thelike, means for supporting a stack of said sheets, a rotatable shaftpositioned adjacent said stack, a feed roll loosely mounted on said haftfor engaging and feeding a sheet from the end of said stack, a drivingmember carried by said shaft, a driven member carried by said feed roll,

a movably mounted member carried by said driving member, means fornormally supporting said movably mounted member in a position to engagesaid driven member and provide a driving connection between said shaftand said feed roll, shiftable means for moving said movably mountedmember into inoperative position withrespect to said driven member,means for feeding articles to said predetermined position, and meansextending into a position to be engaged by articles during feed thereoffor controlling operation of said shiftable means.

19. In an apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets ofmaterial from a stack, a rotatable shaft, a feed roll mounted on saidshaft for engaging and feeding a sheet from an end of said stack, drivemeans mounted on said shaft for normally driving said feed roll toeffect rotation thereof, means for continuously rotating said drivemeans in a single direction, and means for disconnecting said drivemeans from said feed roll to permit said continuous uni-directionalrotation of the drive means without effecting rotation of the feed roll.

20. In an apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets ofmaterial from a stack, a feed roll forengaging and feeding a sheet froman end of said stack, means mounting said feed roll for rotation aboutits axis, drive means mounted for rotation about an axis substantiallyin alignment with said axis of the feed roll and providing for normallyefiecting rotation of the feed roll, means for continuously rotatingsaid drive means in a single direction, and means for disconnecting saiddrive means from said feed roll to permit said continuousuni-directional rotation of the drive means without effecting rotationof the feed roll. j

21. In an apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets ofmaterial from a stack, a feed roll for engaging and feeding a sheet froman end of said stack, means mounting said feed roll for rotation aboutits axis, a drive means mounted for rotation about an axis substantiallyin alignment with said axis of the feedrgll, means for continuouslyrotating said drive means in a single direction, means cooperatingbetween said drive means and said feed roll normally to effect rotationof the feed roll, and means mounting said last named means for movementinto and out of operative position to provide for disconnection of thedrive means from the feed roll. a

22. In an apparatus of the character described for feeding sheets ofmaterial from a stack, a feed roll for engaging and feeding a sheet froman end of said stack, means mounting said feed roll for rotation aboutits axis, a drive means mounted for rotation about an axis substantialely in alignment with said axis of the feed roll, means for continuouslyrotating said drive means in a single direction, a movably mountedmember cooperating between said drive means and said feed roll normallyto effect rotation of the feed roll, means normally supporting saidmovably mounted member in a position to provide a driving connectionbetween said drive means and feed roll, and shiftable means for movingsaid movably mounted member into an inoperative position providing fordisconnecting said drive means from said feed roll.

CLARENCE J. MALHIOT.

